Doing Business Here
The Greater Rochester, NY Region is not only a great place to live, but also a great place to work. We are globally recognized for our cutting-edge developments in industries such as optics and imaging, smart energy, research and development, health imaging, and food and beverage manufacturing. Beyond innovation and opportunity, what keeps employees working in Rochester is our celebrated workplace culture and quality of life. Several of our local businesses have been featured as top companies to work for in America. Headquartered right here in Rochester, Wegmans is a ‘Great Place to Work Legend,’ an elite honor only given to companies that have been on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list every year for 20 straight years. Wegmans has been on the list since its creation in 1998- over 22 years ago- and they currently rank #3.
Premier Schools
The talented workforce in the Greater Rochester Region comes from 19 dedicated colleges and universities including the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College of Rochester and Monroe Community College (MCC) to name a few. Each year, the MCC-educated workforce adds approximately $737.3 million in income to Monroe County. But we want to do more. That’s why MCC created an Economic Development & Innovative Workforce Services division to identify, teach and train quality employees in key career areas to help regional businesses to stay competitive and strengthen our local economy. Monroe County has also partnered with MCC to create Mpower: a program dedicated to further developing our local workforce and also offering solutions to displaced workers in a COVID- impacted economy. Mpower helps county residents to train and transition into high-demand, skilled positions with local employers in highly competitive job markets such as Health Care, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and Skilled Trades.
Transportation and Logistics
Monroe County and the City of Rochester are located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. The area (663.21 square miles) is accessible through the Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport, Amtrak and Conrail, the New York State Thruway, and the New York State Erie Canal.
Monroe County has a transportation system designed to effectively support business needs. Rochester is our largest city, but has an average commute time of only 21.6 minutes and limited congestion on the highways. Our region is accessible and easy to navigate.
Rochester International Airport
The Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport offers nearly thousands of seats per week to dozens of non-stop destinations and major hubs with connections worldwide. Flights to cities such as Boston, New York and Washington, DC are less than 1½ hours by air. Information on nonstop flights is available on the the Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport website.
Trains in Rochester
Rochester is also accessible by rail. The region has more than 60 weekly Amtrak passenger rail departures from downtown. For commercial needs, Rochester has three Class 1 carriers: CSX, Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific. The routes handle up to 60 trains per day.
Major Highways
- Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway)
- Interstate 390
- Interstate 490
- Interstate 590
- New York State Route 15
- New York State Route 18
- New York State Route 19
- New York State Route 31
- New York State Route 33
- New York State Route 104
- New York State Route 259
- New York State Route 390
- New York State Route 531
- New York State Route 590
- Lake Ontario State Parkway